wtm@decvax.dec.com (Bill McGarry) (02/13/90)
THE HANDICAP DIGEST Issue # 1092 Tuesday, February 13, 1990 Today's Topics: ****** Re: Tty Re: Fingers Features SEEBEEP Telecaption goofs Re: The Guide Dog School In San Rafael Downs Syndrome Re: ADVERTISEMENT? Re: advertisements Re: Kicking a Dead Horse? Re: Musings of a demented mind ****** To subscribe to the Handicap Digest mailing list or have your thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses: UUCP: {oliveb, philabs, decvax, yale}!bunker!wtm INTERNET: wtm!bunker.uucp l-hcap@vm1.nodak.edu BITNET: l-hcap@ndsuvm1.bitnet Fidonet: The Handicap News BBS (141/420) 1-203-337-1607 (300/1200/2400 baud, 24 hours) Compuserve: 73170,1064 Bill McGarry (Moderator) (203) 337-1518 ------ Subject: Re: Tty Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] FM> how can I make my computer talk to a tty machine....then I only FM> have to deal with one box! It's not real easy, Frank, maybe more trouble than dealing with two boxes. Some of the newer TTYs (TDDs) are switchable between ASCII and BAUDOT codes, and your PC should be able to takl to them by putting your comm program in "chat" mode. But most of the TDDs currently in use are strictly BAUDOT which is the old 5-level teletype code - not directly compatible with PCs. There are a few modems, all outrageously priced, that purport to be able to bridge the ASCII-BAUDOT gap. There are even a few BBSs that support both, but mostly are multi-line to keep the two codes separate. There is also the speed difference to consider. 110 bps is adequate for online typing and reading on TDDs. But it is rediculously slow for PCs. Karen Winnett (Vixen*), the new SysOp of 1:203/11, is making her board accessable to ASCII TDDs. Dick Barth of the HEX board in Silver Spring, MD is multi-line and supports both ASCII and BAUDOT. He is an excellent source of information if you really want to get into this. Jack. ... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Jack.O'keeffe Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: Fingers Features Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] AS> Jack, there is not a SHHH chapter in Lawton, I don't think. AS> However, it might not be a bad idea to start one here. We do AS> have one HI organization called Friends. Ann, I'm almost certain that I saw Lawton, OK listed once as having a SHHH chapter or group. But in my disorganized state I can't locate the list now. Either way, you should contact Joan Kleinrock at SHHH headquarters, 7800 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. Joan is the Chapter Coordinator for SHHH, and she can tell you how to get in touch with a chapter or group if one exists, or can send you a "kit" to help get one started there if not. Local support groups are great, but there are SO MANY benefits of being affiliated with a national (oops, I should say international) one like SHHH. The publications alone are worth the cost, many times over. (Right, Wayne?) AS> BTW, did anyone read a copy of the Washington Post yesterday AS> (Feb. 7th) about the ADA supporters? I hunted all over town AS> for a copy today and could not find one. Two of our libraries AS> do receive the Post but it takes 7 to 8 days to receive them. AS> Sigh... I did call the local newspaper to see if they could AS> pick up on it since several names from Oklahoma were listed. No, darn it! I heard about it too late to buy a copy so I have to wait and read it in the library. I'll look for your name. AS> Also, I understand a Senator Dingell(sp?) is against the relay AS> system portion in the bill. He feels the states should take it AS> over (which is already in effect in some states) rather than AS> make it a nationwide system. Has anyone been keeping up with AS> what's going on in DC? Check with your brother to see if he has any info, Ann. I've been wondering what (if anything) is happening. Our statewide relay in Pennsylvania should be operational by 4th quarter 1990. It will be intrastate - not interstate - and patterned on the New York state system. But if Dingell thinks it should be left as-is, he is WAY off base. Why should HI people be restricted to calling within their state of residence?. Someone from his state, please explain things to him. Jack. ... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Jack.O'keeffe Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: SEEBEEP Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] Hi, Wayne. Stu sent SeeBeep to me, and I have to say that it is of very limited value here. Possibly if I was a more accomplished typist, and could give the screen undivided attention, it would be more useful. As it is, fully half my attention is on trying to hit the correct keys, and I miss seeing the little "BEEP" on screen. Since it is a TSR, and does intercept the beep to the speaker, it would be useful if it could optionally supress the speaker as well. That would help preserve domestic tranquility for those of us who are addicted to late night BBSing, and live with hearing partners who prefer to sleep. I use the Silver Xpress reader, which has "exploding windows" for menus and messages. You should see what SeeBeep does to those. The exploding window is made by rapidly alternating calls to the screen and to the speaker. Since SeeBeep intercepts the speaker calls it has the effect of making the window "explode" in slow motion. I am using a beta (or is it a gamma) version of Silver Xpress, and it has an interesting new feature that solved my personal "beep" problem. With it you can configure the audio frequency of the beeps. Since I have a corner of residual low frequency hearing in my "good" ear, I configured the reader to beep at 400 hz. and I can hear it. Thanks for bringing SeeBeep to our attention. Jack. ... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Telecaption goofs Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] Watching the CBS "Sunday Morning" show today, in the segment concerning the release of Mandela in South Africa, there was the caption line: "DESPITE RUM BLINKS FROM THE RIGHT" Immediately I thought of our mutual friend Willie Wilson, and completely lost the thread of the TV report. It took me a while to figure out that "RUM BLINKS" should have been "RUMBLINGS" :-) Jack. ... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: The Guide Dog School In San Rafael Written by: Reed.Hopkins@f7.n125.z1.fidonet.org (Reed Hopkins) Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/7 - Survival Communicat, Santa Rosa CA I think that that attitude you found at the school you went to needs to be stood up against loudly and with spirit. I'm sick and tired of being treated like a juvenile. If the people who are getting the dogs lack inteklligence, that's one thing, but if they simply lack maturity its most likly because people have been treating them like children all their lives. If they have to suffer the consequences of their immaturity, so be it. That's what it takes to acheive maturity. I'm also g*****m sick and tired of having "insurance" companies and/or potential lawsuits used as an excuse to deny me access to the world and to dignity. If an AB woman got pregnant at the school, would anyone think that grounds for a lawsuit? If there was a problem, it would have to be criminal in nature, because it would have to be rape to be a problem. Otherwise its just good healthy adult sex. (presuming we're not talking about an in loco parentis situation here.) You oughta see the steam coming out of my ears right now! And one last blast, as long as I'm flaming, if you let your roommate chase yo out of your room in college you've no one to blame but yourself. It's your room too, you don't have to put your needs aside for others unless you want to. Obviously the men's roommates wouldn't. Being a victim is to often self inflicted. -- Reed (Ruffled ~~~~) -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!125!7!Reed.Hopkins Internet: Reed.Hopkins@f7.n125.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Downs Syndrome Written by: Pat.Goltz@f3.n300.z1.fidonet.org (Pat Goltz) Organization: FidoNet node 1:300/3 - UA Today, Tucson AZ Guess what, folks! I just talked to my only sister, and she told me that her newborn has Downs Syndrome! We had a wonderful conversation about all the things we were going to do to help him become a capable person out there in society when he grows up. I would appreciate it if you all would tell me what you know about resources for this particular situation, and what you know from your personal experiences. I'll keep you all posted on how he does. Here's report number one. He's currently 4 weeks old. He is smiling and cooing, and likes to pay attention to faces, and he responds to people with his smiling and cooing. He likes to look at pastel colors. He has a monkey-rattle that has lots of different colors and textures, and he likes to grab this thing. So far, he's ahead. His main difficulty seems to be lack of muscle tone, but there seems to have been significant improvement even in this area. I was able to give my sister some good resources. Since I am thinking about it, I'll share them with you here. There are several efforts that concentrate on this type of difficulty, and how to handle it. The one on the cutting edge is an organization called The Michael Fund. It gathers funds and supports research into how to solve the problem of Downs. The primary researcher that is being supported is Professor Jerome Lejeune of Paris, who discovered the cause of Downs. Their headquarters in the United States is in Export, PA. I won't post the address yet because it has been years since I thought about them, and I want to make sure I get it right. Another effort that has dealt with Downs is Glenn Doman's Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, which is located in Philadelphia. He was working with a fellow from a Latin American country who wrote a book about the achievement of Downs youngsters in his country. He has kids who have learned violin through the Suzuki method who are really good, and he has some youngsters who can read several languages. One girl could read about four of them, and she was only five or so. I find his approach a little too rote, but what he does can be combined with some of the methods I believe in to produce really fine results. I'll tell you more next time. Keepin' the Faith! Pat -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!300!3!Pat.Goltz Internet: Pat.Goltz@f3.n300.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: ADVERTISEMENT? Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares) Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA I really agree: advertisements are a good thing to have on this echo. The disAbled community is very expensive to reach through traditional means and marketing costs are about 50% of the retail price of anything. Any way we can lower the barriers to this market, I'm in favor. It's bad enough that the disAbled are often ignored, we shouldn't throw even more obstacles in front of a company who tries to serve them. The basic function of advertisement is INFORMATION. Sharing information is a major function of this echo, too, isn't it? -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: advertisements Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares) Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA I don't think affordability is necessarily a good filter. Not all disAbled are too poor to afford Item X and if that item could help ANYBODY, I'd like to know about it. One of the gripes I have about marketers to the disAbled is that they rarely talk TO the disAbled person. Yet, when you look at it from their point of view, it's incredibly expensive to develop that contact. There simply isn't the kind of "pointed" media existing to reach a large number of disAbled effectively. If you have an item of interest to, say, tennis players or artists, there are a number of magazines with wide circulation to buy ads in. I have never seen similar material for the disAbled on any news rack. I really don't think the echo would be inundated by ads. There aren't enough companies out there who want to HEAR directly from the disAbled! These companies mostly deal with the Administrator class, where convincing ONE person means 20 or 30 sales to the group they represent. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: Kicking a Dead Horse? Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares) Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA Okay, I read the list you quoted from the Vermont Center for Independent Living. I've seen - and glided past - most conversations on three different echoes referring to "what to CALL the disAbled" because I don't really think it's a dead horse - it's a dead RED HERRING. By the time one gets through with this latest list, which is extensive indeed, one would like to know what, EXACTLY, is one to call the people for whom this echo was presumably intended? Building a conversational mine field in this area is an ironic twist for a group trying to help a population they seem unwilling to name. Is it so disgusting to be blind that we must call it something else? Is it so humiliating to be mobility impaired that we must sanitize the very mention of wheelchairs? Is having special needs so gruesome that we must avoid asking - in fact, DEMANDING - that access should be part of every architecture school's curriculum? Invisibility is one of the foundational problems of the disAbled community. Why spend time creating conversation impairment? Like every other aspect of ANY decent human interaction, the people involved should lay down their own rules. A blind person who wants to be called a blink should be called a blink. A wheelchair user who wants to be called mobility impaired should be called mobility impaired. If they identify themselves as "a quad" then that's what polite people should use. It's up to the PERSON. I also object heartily to the idea that people who must make special efforts to do X should not be singled out and admired. EVERY extraordinary effort by anyone else is admired, why should this community have its achievements ignored? -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org ------ Subject: Re: Musings of a demented mind Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares) Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA How can we tell if a kid "can't learn to speak well enough to be understood" unless we TRY to teach her? If it becomes too stressful at some point and the student wants to stop, we should not demand that they do something so unnatural for them. But they should certainly be given the opportunity to learn speech. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org ------ ****** End of Issue # 1092 of the Handicap Digest ******